Today might be a "walking uphill" kind of day. But that doesn't mean we don't deserve to keep walking 🥰 Speaking from experience, I woke up with thoughts and feelings and fears etc... but I was able to grab my journal and say ok.. even if those fears come true, will it help me or harm me to become absorbed in them?? It is REALLLLLY challenging to do this by myself on a daily basis. Because I'm not by myself. Daughter is here. Which actually makes it harder. But that being said, my point is that even if I feel tired now and even maybe sore and confused etc... at least I know I did my morning routine. And that DOES feel better than NOT doing it. So, speaking to myself to, give yourself permission to have an "uphill" day. Give yourself permission to even have a "bad" day. But do NOT have that mean that you don't do the things that are good for you. I ALWAYS feel better when I try than when I don't. Even if I can't see it at the time. This is NOT saying to "push through" and keep harming yourself. This is saying if trauma or fear thoughts are stopping you in your tracks, and you were going to do something good for yourself (drink water, eat protein, be active, take a nap, etc), do NOT let the trauma pull you off I've started doing my qi gong on my patio. Yes a part of me is like can people see? And doesn't that say something..that I'm worried people will see me doing something GOOD for myself 🤯🥴 So therefore, I did it! And some tears even came (which is what I was afraid of), but I told myself tears can come but don't stop doing the thing I'm doing. Anyway, today might be an uphill day. That is ok. Still do what you can do for yourself, to SUPPORT yourself through it instead of punishing yourself 🥰 And if you already know and do this, that is definitely something to add to your gratitude list. I'm literally having to carve this out and it goes AGAINST everything I was programmed.. yet, I'm STILL doing it. Because the TRUTH is, we ALL deserve to be happy and healthy. Period.

Somatic Stress Release: Three Gentle Exercises 1. Knees bent, gentle hip lift and drop On your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. You slowly raise your hips a few inches and let them drop back down. Not a thrust. Not a bridge. Just a soft lift and a surrender back to gravity. This creates a passive lengthening and a rebound through the psoas, sending a clear signal to the nervous system that it can discharge without effort. The drop is the important part. That’s where the letting go happens. Do it for one minute and resist the urge to “do” anything more. 2. Legs flat, gentle side-to-side jiggle Still on your back, legs long and relaxed. You softly jiggle the legs side to side, letting the movement ripple up through the hips and into the low spine. This oscillation interrupts holding patterns and invites involuntary release. Think soothing, not shaking. This is vagal tone work as much as it is muscular. The psoas begins to soften when it senses rhythm without demand. One minute is enough if you’re actually letting the legs be loose. 3. Legs straight, tapping the big toes together On your back, legs straight, you gently tap the big toes together and apart. Small movement. Almost boring. That subtle midline activation engages the deep hip flexors without triggering defense. It brings the nervous system into coherence and encourages bilateral release through the psoas. People often feel warmth, tingling, or a deep exhale here. Again, one minute. No strain. Done daily, these work because they retrain the baseline. You’re teaching the psoas that release is safe and familiar. Over time, the muscle stops gripping preemptively. The nervous system spends less energy on background vigilance. Breath deepens, sleep improves, emotional reactivity drops. These exercises are a form of Somatic Stress Release (often associated with TRE or "Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises") specifically designed to target the psoas muscle and the autonomic nervous system. While traditional stretching tries to "pull" a muscle long, these movements use oscillation and micro-movements to convince the brain that the muscle can safely stop "guarding."